$17 million OK'd to rebuild burned Beale building

MARYSVILLE — The Air Force has approved $17 million to rebuild the two-story 38,000-square-foot civil engineering building destroyed by fire on Jan. 21 at Beale Air Force Base, U.S. Rep. John Garamendi told the Appeal-Democrat on Tuesday.

"This (building) is critical for effective and efficient operation of the base," Garamendi said. "Everything from flushing toilets to making sure the runway is properly maintained."

Construction is expected to start this fall and be finished by mid-2015, he said.

The original building was built in the 1940s, and sprinklers were only installed in parts of the building.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

One firefighter suffered minor injuries while fighting the blaze that burned for more than a day.